Apple’s 13-inch white MacBook laptop is dead, having been discontinued following the arrival of its new MacBook Air line, which introduces speedier processors and Thunderbolt I/O technology for faster data and file transfer.

No longer available for purchase online via Apple’s website, the old MacBook has been abandoned in favor of new models, which offer brawnier Intel Core i5 or i7 processors and a backlit keyboard. Capable of running roughly twice as fast as previous units, further enhancements promised by new MacBook Air systems include a slim form factor, multi-touch trackpad, flash storage, and the OS X Lion operating system.

But computer users shopping for a new lightweight notebook can take heart that the more things change, the more they stay the same in some respects. Base costs once again start at $999, in this case for an 11-inch MacBook Air unit, with a 13-inch model also available beginning from $1299.

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